Pairing Meritage and Bordeaux Style Wines

Delicious pairing ideas for blends that span the globe

Tuscany has truly mastered the Bordeaux blend. It started decades ago with the likes of Sassicaia and has gone through a number of transformations, from showing a perfect sense of place to over-oaked monsters. However, it is only recently that I feel you can find highly-enjoyable Bordeaux blends which truly speak of their Tuscan upbringing, while remaining at an exceptionally fair price.

Pork Ragout was the easy choice for me with this pairing. The first time I enjoyed this wine was with a red sauce, and it simply needed more to balance out its suave and rich profile. The Pork Ragout did just that. In this pairing, it's the contrasting of intense rich fruit against sweet meat and herbs. Although this wine is big, there are masses of earth and Tuscan character that sing in harmony with pork. I would however opt to add this wine to the recipe instead of the Zinfandel that it recommends.

2007 Tenuta di Trinoro Le Cupole Maremma Toscana IGT - The nose showed black cherries, cinnamon, mint and dark chocolate with a distinct earthy component. On the palate, it was full and velvety with ample weight balanced by zesty acidity. Flavors of rich black cherry, prunes, dark chocolate and tobacco leaf filled out the palate. The finish was long and fresh. This wine truly wowed me as its luxurious richness is so perfectly balanced and kept fresh by a combination of zesty acidity and fine tannin. It's drinking beautifully now, but it should continue to improve for a number of years.